1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of dispensers for stackable vessels, and more specifically to paper plate dispenser which can be attached to the underside of kitchen cabinet or the side of a microwave oven or other suitable structure, the dispenser including a housing for containing a stack of plates having two opposing, vertical side walls made of resilient, flexible material and a front retaining barrier for preventing the removal of all but the lowermost plate through the front of the housing, the side wells being spaced apart at e distance slightly larger then the diameter of the plates to be dispensed, each having a plate support flange projecting inwardly from the bottom edge of each side wall, such that the plates can be loaded from underneath by spreading the side walls and support flanges, and then allowing the walls end flanges to resiliently return to their original positions, a mounting flange projecting inwardly from the top edge of each side wall, through which mounting fasteners can be inserted, or to which double-sided adhesive tape or hook and loop type fasteners c be secure, end a spring member for holding the plates against the plate support flanges.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been devices for dispensing stackable vessels. A problem with these devices is that they can be awkward to use. Another problem is that they typically deform and weaken the vessel. Once a paper plate has been bent, for example, its strength is reduced and it is more likely to collapse with the weight of food.
An example of such a dispenser is that of Sendelbach, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,431, issued on Dec. 24, 1991. Sendelbach teaches a container having a tubular side wall for holding a stack of paper plates. The tubular side wall has a flange projecting inwardly from a 300 degree span of its bottom edge for supporting the plates. A user grasps the edge of the lowermost plate through the bottom of the container along the 60 degree gap in the flange, and pulls the plate axially downward. The plate is thereby dispensed after being "flexed or warped" to clear the flange. A problem with Sendelbach is that one must feel along the bottom of the container to find the gap in the flange. Then one must deform and weaken the plate to remove it.
Beagle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,807, issued on Oct. 29, 1991, discloses a disposable dispenser for pet feeding bowls. A disk-shaped base member has three equally spaced apart, upwardly extending containing arms along its edge. A plate retaining tooth extends radially inward from the top of each arm. Spring biasing elements are provided on the base member, so that a stack of bowls fit downward between the arms is biased upward against the retaining teeth. To remove the top bowl from in the stack, one deforms the bowl to avoid the retaining teeth and lifts it out of the dispenser. A problem with Beagle is that, once again, the bowl must be deformed during removal. Another problem is that the stack of bowls is exposed and may be considered aesthetically undesirable.
Carrillo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,662, issued on Jun. 5, 1990, teaches a drum-shaped, flexible plate dispenser for attachment to the underside of a cabinet. The circular bottom wall of the dispenser has a cut-away edge portion and the tubular side has a contiguous cut-away portion. The lowermost plate is stated to be deformed as it is extracted through these cut-away portions. Thus the problem of bent and weakened plates is again presented.
Mulder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,112, issued on Oct. 17, 1989, reveals a dispenser for filters, of the type used on many automatic coffee makers. Mulder teaches a box having a square top for fastening underneath a cabinet or other fixture, and a bottom in the form of two opposing flanges. The flanges retain a stack of filters within the box and two narrow cutaway sections are provided in the sides of the box between the flanges. A filter is dispensed by pulling on a tab projecting from the filter and thereby causing the filter to deform and slide between the flanges. Once again, the vessel is deformed during removal. Also, pulling the vessel axially downward is relatively awkward. The natural and most comfortable direction for a person to pull is toward the person.
Vershbow, U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,606, issued on Jan. 24, 1989, teaches a spring-loaded plate dispensing device. Vershbow is similar to Beagle, except that a containing box is provided in place of the vertical arms. A coil spring is mounted at the bottom of the box and the top edge has an inwardly directed, flexible retaining member. The edges of the plates fan apart opposite the retaining member. A top corner of the side walls is cut away for easier gripping of the edge of the uppermost plate for removal. The plates are pulled out of the box along the axis of the coil spring. A problem with Vershbow is that the spring occupies space within the box and thus the box must be larger and bulkier. The spring feature also makes the dispenser more expensive. Finally, the Vershbow dispenser is not well suited to mounting under a kitchen cabinet or equivalent structure. If the open top were directed downward or sideways, the action of gravity on the fanned plates could make them fall out.
Colgan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,698, issued on Jan. 6, 1976, discloses a plate dispenser having a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and a tubular side wall. The housing contains a stack of plates. The bottom wall has a centrally located, upward projecting disk portion which bears against the middle of the bottom plate, pushing it tightly against the next higher plate. The bottom wall also has an arcuately shaped opening for exposing a portion of the lowermost plate in a stack. The side wall has a slot exposing edges of several lower plates. The user grips the edge of the lowermost plate through the slot and pulls it both radially and downwardly through the arcuate opening in the bottom wall. A problem with Colgan is that the user must separate the edge of the bottom plate from the stack with their fingernails, to pull the plate out. The central disk portion of the bottom wall would create too much friction between the plates to permit separation without this inconvenient procedure.
Carew, U.S. Pat. No. 1,750,568, issued on Mar. 11, 1930, teaches a bowl-shaped holder for a single plate, the holder having plate rim gripping elements. The purpose of the invention is to provide support for a flexible paper plate while it is in use, and then the plate is pulled out of the holder and discarded. Then the holder is inverted and placed over an inverted stack of similar plates. The gripping elements grip the uppermost plate so that it is retained in the holder when the holder is again picked up for use. A problem with Carew is that an automatic, plate storing apparatus is not provided. Carew provides more of a support function for early-style paper plates than a dispensing function.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for dispensing paper plates which conceals a stack of such plates in an aesthetically pleasing housing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which can be mounted under a kitchen cabinet or to any other suitable structure for convenient access, using double-sided tape, hook and loop type fasteners, or any other conventional fasteners.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which permits the removal of a plate with a single action and without deforming and weakening the plate.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which holds a stack of paper plates against support members with a biasing member so that a plate is always adjacent to a plate removal port.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which can receive a stack of paper plates by spreading resilient retaining walls and then permitting the walls to return to their original positions.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is simple in design, reliable and inexpensive to manufacture.